Body shredded in Quebec: one of the co-accused will remain detained during all proceedings

Allegedly involved in the “shredder murder” case, Cassandra Major will remain detained throughout the legal proceedings, the Superior Court ruled on Thursday.

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The accused had submitted a request for provisional release in order to leave prison during the legal process.

taken from Kassandra M’s FACEBOOK

She is targeted by charges of indignity to a corpse and complicity after the fact in connection with the discovery of the remains of the body of Santiago Gaona on the grounds of a pruning company in Quebec on September 16, 2023.


Cassandra Major, 31, charged with indignity to a corpse.  She allegedly participated in the shredding of a corpse that was found in Quebec.

Photo taken from Santiago Gaona’s Facebook page

The details of the narrative of the sordid crime are still under a publication ban, but according to the first elements of the investigation, Cassandra Major, François Bouchard and Jean-Philippe Lamontagne would have transported the body of the victim from Contrecoeur to Quebec . They then allegedly used an industrial shredder to mutilate Gaona’s body before attempting to dispose of the remains by burning them on site.


Cassandra Major, 31, charged with indignity to a corpse.  She allegedly participated in the shredding of a corpse that was found in Quebec.

Marc Vallières/QMI Agency

Rejection of the request

Judge Carl Thibault ruled Thursday by rejecting Cassandra Major’s motion. The reasons for this decision of the magistrate are also subject to a non-publication order in order to protect the rights of the accused during a possible trial.

The 31-year-old woman’s criminal record shows a history of drugs, but also non-compliance with probation conditions during release in other cases.

One of his co-defendants, Jean-Philippe Lamontagne, was released under strict conditions at the beginning of January.

François Bouchard will also have to remain detained until the end of his trial due to the charge of second degree murder against him.


Cassandra Major, 31, charged with indignity to a corpse.  She allegedly participated in the shredding of a corpse that was found in Quebec.

François Bouchard, accused

Taken from Facebook

According to the indictment filed in the case, investigators believe that Santiago Gaona was killed “between September 8 and 16, 2023, in Contrecoeur.” Remember that the home of François Bouchard, located in this municipality northeast of Montreal, had been scrutinized by investigators from the Laboratory of Judicial Sciences and Legal Medicine.


Cassandra Major, 31, charged with indignity to a corpse.  She allegedly participated in the shredding of a corpse that was found in Quebec.

Photo Agence QMI, Maxime Deland

Sources indicated during the investigation that the case could be directly or indirectly linked to the world of narcotics, François Bouchard having alleged links with organized crime.

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